The exemplary embodiments relate to a method for manufacturing a microlens and a method for manufacturing an organic electroluminescence element.
An organic electroluminescence element (hereinafter referred to as an organic EL element), which is a self light-emitting element that itself emits light by the flow of a current, is excellent in visibility as well as shock resistance, and has excellent characteristics of low power consumption in comparison with an inorganic EL. The organic EL element is drawing attention as the next generation display device due to these excellent characteristics.
The organic EL element typically includes a substrate, an anode, an organic luminescent layer, and a cathode. In the organic EL element, total reflection occurs at a layer interface due to the refractive index difference between materials that constitute layers. The light that is confined to the layer by the total reflection is propagated in the transverse direction of the substrate, and then causes edge emitting or nonradiatively disappears in the course of propagation. As a result, the amount of light that emits outside is reduced and the light-extraction efficiency decreases up to about 20%, for example.
To address or solve such a problem, methods of forming prisms and microlenses on or around an organic EL element to improve the light-extraction efficiency are disclosed, for example, in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-282255 and Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2004-39500.